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In my book, No Barriers, I share my experience leading a group of blind Tibetan teens up a peak called Lhakpa Ri. The climb itself was a profound experience for me, but even more so, was learning about these student's lives. Shortly after returning from Mt. Everest, I received a letter from Sabriye Tenberken, teacher and founder of a school for the blind in Tibet. Sabriye went blind at age 12, and having experienced her own sense of alienation and loneliness, she made it her life’s mission to combat people’s assumptions of blindness.
Excerpt:

As the pace slows this holiday season, it’s a great time to reflect on our experiences, the people who have influenced us, and the lessons we’ve brought down from the mountain. My 2016 was filled with lots of adventures with family and friends; including epic rock climbs around the country, a kayaking trip to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, and biking through beautiful fall foliage in Vermont.

There is a little more than a month until my new book No Barriers launches and I am excited to report glowing early reviews. Kirkus and Booklist, publications that help librarians and book buyers decide how to stock their shelves, have said this about the book:
"More than a story about a blind man converting the improbable to the possible, this volume provides a powerful testament to the human spirit, concluding with a challenge to readers to take the Pledge of No Barriers. Guaranteed to inspire." - Booklist

Checking off my Climber's Bucket List: After spending almost a year writing No Barriers, this fall was a time for me to renew my commitment to climbing. For years, I’ve wanted to attempt several classic routes across the U.S. I started my new No Barriers journey in Yosemite Valley, the epicenter of climbing.

My new book, No Barriers, is full of stories of people that exemplify what I call a No Barriers Life. It was fun to write about the adventures that we have shared, but frankly it was also very difficult. Living a No Barriers Life is wrought with struggle and tragedy. But it is also marked by tremendous courage, a concept that I call Reach.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already on our 8th No Barriers Summit, this year hosted at Copper Mountain, Colo. It was almost ten years ago when Mark Wellman, Hugh Herr, Jim and Connie Goldsmith, and I gathered to plan our first U.S. Summit and dreamed how amazing this celebration could be. We hoped it would become the world’s premier adaptive event, as well as a movement of people seeking to shatter barriers.

Today, May 25, marks the 15th Anniversary of my team and I reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. It was a momentous achievement, but I don’t think that any of us could have predicted how powerfully the experience would alter the course of our lives. This past year I have been working on my third book, entitled No Barriers, which in many ways chronicles my experiences beyond Everest. Although it’s been a daunting and intense process, it’s also been a fun opportunity to look back over the last 15 years and reflect on what an adventure it has been.